Suspended policeman reportedly dies while working as construction worker

Lokman Keleş, a Konya-based police officer who was suspended as part of the government’s post-coup purge of state institutions, died after falling from a building under construction, the last resort for him to make ends meet according to people familiar with his situation.

“Police officer Lokman Keleş, who was suspended due to false accusations, passed away while working at a construction site to make money for his children, including the one who’s attending university. Rest in peace, good guy!” Adem Sezen, who claimed to have known Keleş, said on his Facebook page.

@magduriyetlertr, a Twitter account that reports post-coup abuses said Keleş had three children.

More than 150,000 people have lost their jobs since the failed coup on July 15, 2016,as part of a government crackdown.

Dismissed or suspended civil servants have been prohibited from securing jobs in other public institutions, while many teachers have had their licences revoked. Since most of the private sector is concerned about government retaliation, they prefer not to hire fired public workers.

In order to survive, many purged civil servants and others have become unregistered market vendors or laborers on farms, for construction companies and such.